AUTOPEDIA USED CAR BUYER'S GUIDE

Based on a guide written by Lawrence Buja & Roger Garnett

The following comprehensive USED CAR BUYER'S GUIDE will assist you in rating the overall value of that used car you are considering. Although you may not use all of the included suggestions, you are strongly urged to review the entire guide and print it out BEFORE you plunk down your hard earned money. And don't forget to check the vehicle's VIN for FREE to make sure it matches the car your looking at. Then you can decide if you want to order a full report from Experian's Auto Check to make sure you aren't buying a lemon.

PART 1. MECHANICAL INSPECTION CHECKLIST.
--- FIRST PHONE CONTACT:
Name: ______________________________________ [affix original ad here]
Address: ______________________________________
Phone: (h) ______________ (w) ______________
Date/Time: ______________________________________
1. Can you describe the car and its condition?
2. Does it run well?
3. How is the:
Body?
Any Rust?
Paint?
Interior?
Tires?
Engine?
Brakes?
Shocks?
4. Does it have Overdrive or Turbo? Does it work?
5. What special features or options does it have?
6. Why are you selling it?
7. How long have you owned it? ...had it for sale?
8. Is it currently registered and licensed?
9. Where is the car located?
10. How many miles does it have on it? [15K/yr?]
11. What problems have you had with the car?
12. Has it ever been hit or in an accident?
13. What work does it need done on it now?
14. How much are you asking for it? or What's the least you're willing
to take for it?
---QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:
Why am I buying this car?
What do I intend to do with it?
Will it be my commute vehicle?
What service and support is locally available?
Will I be driving it year-round or summer only?
Do I want to work on the car more than driving it?
Am I willing to pay a premium because someone else has already done most
of the serious work on the car?
What is the most that I'm willing to pay for this car?
What is the least that I think that the car can be had for?

--- SUGGESTIONS:
1. Read some of the "How to buy Used Cars" books available at your
library. They provide useful strategies and cautions that go far beyond
the scope of this list. Also, review this list carefully before using it.
2. Always inspect/take delivery of the vehicle in broad daylight,
never in the evening/night or in the rain.
3. A clean piece of cardboard placed under the engine/trans after the
test-drive will help show fluid leaks.
4. In some states, older non-titled vehicles may be titled with just a
bill of sale. Other states may require an additional security bond to
be posted. Use extreme caution in either of these cases!
5. Require seller have the vehicle pass all state inspections (safety,
emissions) at a mutually agreeable shop (NOT one of his choosing) before
you pay for it. Old (>30days) inspections are of absolutely no use to you.
6. A general guide to reading exhaust smoke:
Black smoke = unburned fuel
Valves bad or out of adjustment? Carb out of adjustment?
Blue smoke = burning oil
Accelerating: Piston rings bad? Decelerating: Valve seats/guides bad?
White smoke = burning coolant!
Bad head gasket? Warped or cracked Head or Block?$$

--- ADDITIONAL POST-CHECKLIST QUESTIONS:
Original Owner? ___________________________________________________
Names/nums of previous owners available? _____________________
What regular maintenance was done? Records? ______________________
Who was your mechanic? name/address/phone? _______________________
What gas mileage have you been getting? ___________________________
Are there any repair or gas mileage records? ______________________
Oil change interval? ______________________________________________
Type of oil used? ____________________________________________
How old are the tires? ____________________________________________
Battery? _____________________________________________________
Has it passed emissions recently? _________________________________
Where? _______________________________________________________
Has any bodywork ever been done? __________________________________
Why? _________________________________________________________
Receipts? ____________________________________________________
Any mechanical work recently? _____________________________________
Where? _______________________________________________________
Receipts? ____________________________________________________
What work remains to be done or corrected? ________________________
Are there any missing parts? ______________________________________
Do you have any extra parts or wheels for it? _____________________
What new/aftermarket parts are in the car? ________________________
Receipts? ____________________________________________________
Was it ever used for towing? ______________________________________
Has it ever been crashed, burnt, stolen, hit or rolled? ___________
How was the car generally driven? _________________________________
On highway or in town? _______________________________________
Are the engine, transmission, steering, differential original? ____
(If not, why not? Origin and receipts?) _____________________
Do you have any books about the car or the engine? ________________
(repair books, owners manuals, history or general
interest, parts catalogs, club newsletters)
Any interesting history? __________________________________________
Has it ever been raced? ______________________________________
Are there any tools that come with the car? _______________________
Do you know of any parts cars or good parts sources? ______________

PART 2. EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR INSPECTION. (Don't start the engine yet)
---OWNERSHIP VERIFICATION: (Do all of the following agree and seem right?)
Name on title: ____________________________________________________
Name on registration: _____________________________________________
Model/Year on title: ______________________________________________
VIN on title: _____________________________________________________
VIN on registration: ______________________________________________
VIN on dash: ______________________________________________________
VIN on door: ______________________________________________________
Mileage on title: _________________________________________________
Mileage on odometer: ______________________________________________
Price on title: ___________________________________________________
Asking price: _____________________________________________________
Blue Book price: __________________________________________________

BILL OF SALE (buyer's copy)
Year, make, and model: ____________________________________________
VIN: ______________________________________________________________
Odometer reading: _________________________________________________
Date and time of sale: ____________________ ____________________
Seller hereby acknowledges receipt of $______________ in the form of
______________ for full and final payment for the above vehicle, which
is sold "AS IS."
I, the seller, certify that I or we are the current owner of this
vehicle, and have the authority to sell it. I hereby transfer full
ownership of this vehicle described on this receipt to the buyer(s). I
certify that the Title or ownership of this vehicle at the time of sale
is subject to no outstanding taxes, fees, liens or encumbrances, other
than those specified on the Title or listed below, if any, and none
other, and that if there are, the seller will be held fully responsible
for their payment.
Buyer(s) hereby acknowledges receipt of the following: the signed
certificate of ownership transferring seller's full ownership of the
vehicle and all of it's contents to the buyer; various maintenance
records; this signed bill of sale and the mileage disclosure statement;
and all keys to the vehicle as well as delivery of the vehicle.
________________________________ ________________________________
(seller 1's signature) (date) (buyer 1's signature) (date)
________________________________ ________________________________
(seller 2's signature) (date) (buyer 1's signature) (date)
Seller: _______________________ Buyer: _______________________
address: _______________________ address: _______________________
phone: _______________________ phone: _______________________

BILL OF SALE (seller's copy)
Year, make, and model: ____________________________________________
VIN: ______________________________________________________________
Odometer reading: _________________________________________________
Date and time of sale: ____________________ ____________________
Seller hereby acknowledges receipt of $______________ in the form of
______________ for full and final payment for the above vehicle, which
is sold "AS IS".
I, the seller, certify that I or we are the current owner of this
vehicle, and have the authority to sell it. I hereby transfer full
ownership of this vehicle described on this receipt to the buyer(s). I
certify that the Title or ownership of this vehicle at the time of sale
is subject to no outstanding taxes, fees, liens or encumbrances, other
than those specified on the Title or listed below, if any, and none
other, and that if there are, the seller will be held fully responsible
for their payment.
Buyer(s) hereby acknowledges receipt of the following: the signed
certificate of ownership transferring seller's full ownership of the
vehicle and all of it's contents to the buyer; this signed bill of sale
and all keys to the vehicle as well as delivery of the vehicle.
________________________________ ________________________________
(seller 1's signature) (date) (buyer 1's signature) (date)
________________________________ ________________________________
(seller 2's signature) (date) (buyer 1's signature) (date)
Seller: _______________________ Buyer: _______________________
address: _______________________ address: _______________________
phone: _______________________ phone: _______________________

ODOMETER (MILEAGE) STATEMENT
(Federal regulations require you to state the odometer mileage upon
transfer of ownership. An inaccurate or untruthful statement may make
you liable for damages to your transferee, for attorney fees, and for
civil or criminal penalties, pursuant to Sections 409, 412, and 413 of
the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act of 1972 (Pub. L.
92-513, as amended by Pub. L. 94-364) and applicable state laws.)
I, the seller __________________________, state that the odometer
mileage on the vehicle described below now reads __________________
miles/kilometers.
Circle ONE only:
(1) I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge the odometer
reading as stated above reflects the actual mileage of the
vehicle described below.
(2) I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge the odometer
reading as stated above reflects the amount of mileage in excess
of designed mechanical odometer limit of 99,999 miles/kilometers
of the vehicle described below.
(3) I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge the odometer
reading as stated above is NOT the actual mileage of vehicle
described below and should not be relied upon.
___________________________ ____________________________ _________
|Make |Model |Body Type
_____________________________ _______________ _____________
|Vehicle Identification No |Year |Dealer Stock No.
Circle ONE only:
(1) I hereby certify that the odometer of said vehicle was not
altered, set back, or disconnected while in my possession,
and I have no knowledge of anyone doing so.
(2) I hereby certify that the odometer was altered for repair or
replacement purposes while in my possession, and that the
mileage registered on the repaired or replacement odometer was
identical to that before such service.
(3) I hereby certify that the repaired or replacement odometer
was incapable of registering the same mileage, that it was
reset to zero, and that the mileage on the original odometer
or the odometer before repair was ________________ miles/kilometers.
________________________________ __________________________________
(seller 1's signature) (date) (buyer 1's signature) (date)
________________________________ __________________________________
(seller 2's signature) (date) (buyer 1's signature) (date)
Seller: Buyer:
phone: phone:
address: address:
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